


Plain Sight

by pencilguin



Category: Star Trek: Discovery
Genre: Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Pre-Relationship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-05-23
Updated: 2020-05-23
Packaged: 2021-03-02 23:40:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,659
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24341473
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/pencilguin/pseuds/pencilguin
Summary: During one of their regular video calls, Paul brings something up with Hugh that he saw that day.
Relationships: Hugh Culber/Paul Stamets
Comments: 6
Kudos: 30
Collections: USS Spaceboos ficlets and snippets





	Plain Sight

**Author's Note:**

> This is unbeta'd, so I apologize for any mistakes.

With some residue nerves, Paul initiates the call. They had agreed that he’d call Hugh today, and he’d even put it off a few more minutes to make sure Hugh was ready and in no rush to take it. Or that’s what he’s been telling himself, at least.

“Hi!” Hugh’s cheerful grin greets him from the screen. He’s lounging on his couch in a tank top and workout shorts, with some sort of healthy-looking shake in his hand, and looks a little sweaty but not too out of breath.

It’s not the first time Paul’s confronted with this sight — that was about two weeks ago — and today he feels _almost_ prepared for it. At least Hugh isn’t shirtless again.

“Hi, Hugh!” he responds, trying to sound as casual as possible and not to stare at Hugh’s biceps or at how the edges of his pecs are peeking out of the gray top. “Did I interrupt you?”

“No, no, I just finished a couple of minutes ago. Ran a little late this morning and figured I’ll shower after our call. How was work? How are the kids?”

Paul can’t help but smile. His “kids”, of course, are the _stellaviatori_ mushrooms, specifically the ones from the strands they separated last week and have been trying to cultivate in slightly modified conditions for a couple of new tests Justin wants to run. “Doing well so far. And we finally figured out what was causing the atmospheric contamination in bay C.”

Hugh leans forward attentively. Paul blushes slightly, trying not to stare at the way his pectorals flex with the movement. “What was it?”

“Bird poop.”

Hugh laughs. “Seriously?”

“A pair of Denevan blue crows built their nest right on top of the ventilation shaft opening. We had to file a request with the environmental department to have them safely relocated, and in the meantime I spent most of the day constructing an air filter to put in between to keep out the worst, after cleaning up the mess they made. That shit is caustic as fuck — no pun intended.”

He watches Hugh giggle with delight, and not for the first time feels a little wistful. This crush he’s been nursing for the better part of the last two months is starting to get out of hand and one way or another, he’s going to need to do something about it — scary as the prospect is. The events from earlier today of course aren’t helping, either.

Hugh seems to be catching on to his mood, because the laughter fades into a frown. “Paul? Is everything okay?”

“Huh? Uhm, yeah, sure…” Hugh remains unconvinced, so he sighs in defeat. “Well, maybe there… There’s something I wanted to ask you.” His cheeks are heating up again, remembering the incident.

_“Order whatever you like, it’s on me today, and then let’s find a table,” Justin said as they strolled into the cafeteria of the institute’s main building adjacent to their lab._

_“Thanks, Jus,” Paul muttered. “To what do I owe the honor?”_

_“What do you think? You’re my hero for scraping bird shit out of the ventilation ducts for the last two hours, it’s the least I can do.”_

_He requested a green tea matcha latte and waited for Justin to pick it and his almond cappuccino up, then they settled down at their favorite table with a nice view of both the open cafeteria space and the plaza outside the glass facade._

_“You could’ve volunteered, you know.”_

_“Eww, no,” Justin replied. Paul rolled his eyes. “But I greatly appreciate your sacrifice.”_

_At this time of the day the cafeteria was mostly empty as usual, more people passing through on their way around the institute than actually sitting down, and Paul let his eyes idly wander around the space, eventually getting caught on the large screens that alternated between showing general information, news feeds, and advertising banners._

_As a new banner came up in the rotation, he nearly choked on his tea._

_It was an underwear ad, and the model looked incredibly familiar. Or his face and upper torso did, anyway. The rest was… new._

_Justin frowned at him. “You okay?”_

_Paul coughed once or twice, then took a deep breath and nodded. “Yeah, it was just… a little surprising.” He pointed at the banner. “I know that guy…”_

_Justin looked over, studying the ad in question. He raised an eyebrow. “Lucky you.”_

_“Yeah… I guess.” Paul was probably blushing deeply, so he feigned another couple of little coughs to distract from the fact, hoping that Justin would be fooled by it and not press further. “Funny coincidence…”_

“Paul?”

He blinks, startled, and Hugh’s slightly inquiring smile on his screen comes back into focus. The very same face.

“You still with me there?”

“Um, yes. Sorry. Uhm, so… I saw an ad on one of the screens in the cafeteria this afternoon.”

“Oh?”

“An underwear ad. You were in it.”

“Oh.” Hugh looks taken aback for a moment, but then he starts laughing. It’s not mocking, nor particularly embarrassed. Just genuinely _Hugh_ … and maybe a little shy. All in all, he’s being unreasonably cute again, and Paul’s cheeks seem to be burning now. Hugh covers his face with his left hand until he’s calmed down a little, and when he lowers it, he appears to be blushing, too. “So you saw _that_.”

“At first I wasn’t sure I’d seen right. I, um, I had no idea, after all…” He hesitates, looks at Hugh uncertainly for a moment. “So that really _was_ you?”

“So you’ve found out my deep, dark secret.”

Finally Paul dares to grin. “Well, I guess if that’s your darkest secret then I’m not too concerned.”

“Good. That’s a relief.”

“So… You’re not just a Starfleet doctor, you also model underwear on the side?”

“I have done a few modeling jobs in the past. That was the only one for underwear, though. Last year. I’m surprised that’s only circulating now.” He seems to get lost in thought for a few moments. “The photographer is a friend of mine. There was a last-minute problem with the model for that shooting and she asked me to help them out.”

“Is there anything you can’t do?” Paul asks with a smile.

“Oh, plenty of things, trust me.”

“I do.” _Where did that just come from?_ Paul’s blush deepens, but it makes Hugh smile, so he’ll take it.

“You know—”

“Hugh, I—”

They just started talking at the same time, then both stopped, slightly flustered.

“Sorry,” Paul says. “You go first.”

“Um, okay… Actually — well, I just wanted to say that… Not that I’m embarrassed about it or anything, but this isn’t exactly how I’d planned for this to go… I hope this doesn’t make things weird between us?”

“Huh? No, not at all. I was just surprised, I guess. And, I mean, it’s not like you didn’t answer my call shirtless the other week, so…” Paul notices himself rambling and shuts his mouth. He takes a deep breath to refocus before he continues. “Anyway, um, look. This is probably gonna look like really poor timing but I feel like I should be honest with you about this right away — actually should’ve been honest earlier, but since we’re here now…” He falters again.

When he looks up, Hugh is still there, listening closely, with his kind smile that Paul has grown so fond of.

“Yes?” he asks patiently when Paul doesn’t go on. Is he just imagining this or does it feel like a word is missing at the end of his sentence, a term of endearment that should follow, that he wants to say but isn’t sure they’re ready for yet?

_Probably just imagining._

He takes another deep breath. “Hugh, I really like you. It’s become more and more obvious to me over the last few weeks — maybe even months — as we’ve been talking regularly. I value our friendship a lot and I’m perfectly happy if you want to keep it at that. But if you… if you would be interested in something more than friends, then…”

Looking at Hugh derails his sentence again. He’s watching Paul and listening attentively; his expression is one of surprise, like he’s still processing the words he’s hearing. Paul gets even more nervous and hastily continues.

“Which — I just want to be clear, this has nothing to do with — with today or — it’s not because of your looks, is what I’m trying to say. I enjoy just talking to you for hours, and you have a wonderful personality, you’re brilliant, you’re one of the few people who actually _likes_ spending time with me — and I really, truly, genuinely like you for, well, _you_ , and for who you are.”

Another silence follows his words, but now Hugh is definitely blushing. And then he smiles, and that’s when Paul knows he’s done for.

“Yes. Yes, I want that.”

“Really?”

Hugh laughs briefly. “No need to sound so surprised.”

“Fuck.” He looks so _happy_.

“What is it?”

“Just… still processing this.” Now Paul can’t stop smiling himself.

“You better believe it, darling.”

“And here come the pet names.” He chuckles, although his heartbeat speeds up another notch. “That didn’t take long.”

“I’m sorry, if that bothers you —”

“No, no! Not at all. Just… ah, nothing.” Hugh isn’t fooled, keeps his eyes fixed on Paul, so he relents. “I like it.”

“Good. I’m glad.” Hugh’s playing with his empty shake bottle absent-mindedly. “This is where I’d ask to kiss you, if you were here right now.”

Something tugs at Paul’s heart painfully. Right. Long-distance relationship it is, then. Not what he had planned, but that’s life for you. Something tells him that Hugh is more than worth it. “And I’d say yes.”

Hugh sighs wistfully, the same hint of sadness in his eyes that Paul is feeling right now, too. Automatically, Paul’s fingers come up to touch the screen, as if he could reach out to Hugh across the lightyears between them.

“I want to meet you again,” he says. “Do you think there’s any chance in the near future…?”

“I’ll need to check. I know my star base is a long way out from Deneva, but if you can arrange a visit here, I’ll always try to make time for you.”

Paul tries to recall his schedule for the next few months. “I think there’s a conference coming up in a few weeks that isn’t too far away from you,” he says slowly. “Or we could try to meet halfway.”

“We’ll figure something out. I promise. And…” Hugh blushes slightly, but he’s grinning mischievously. “I can’t leave you at only having seen me undressed on screen.”

“That’s — yeah, I look forward to that. Not that I’m complaining right now. But, you know…”

“I actually want to get my hands on you, too. ‘Cause I like you because you’re hot, not for your brains or anything.”

Paul scrunches up his eyebrows until Hugh bursts into laughter and winks at him.

“I’m joking, of course.”

“So, what?” Paul snarks back. “You were won over by my rude and caustic personality?”

Once Hugh has calmed down, he responds with the biggest, most earnest of smiles, “As a matter of fact — yes, that is exactly what won me over.”

This leaves Paul speechless. Hugh raises an eyebrow, still smiling brightly. At last, Paul finds his voice. “Well. That’s a first.”

“Just for the record, this doesn’t mean that I don’t also like you when you’re being sweet.”

“Well, then let the records also show that I appreciate your body as well, even if it’s not the deciding factor.” This, too, makes Hugh laugh. “And I _do_ look forward to seeing it again in person.”

For a moment Hugh seems to get lost in thoughts, before he speaks again. “I should still have the photos from that shoot saved here somewhere, by the way. Do you want to see them?”

“Yes!” Paul responds, a little too enthusiastic probably, and immediately blushes again.

“Let me look them up…” Hugh sits up straight and starts searching through his files. “Ah, here you go. Some of them didn’t make it into the final campaign, they didn’t fit the image they were going for.”

With excitement bubbling in his stomach, Paul accepts the file transfer Hugh sent him and opens the folder. His eyes widen and his cheeks heat up immediately. There he is, in full detail. At least they’re only static 2-D pictures. But, fuck, if they aren’t — if _Hugh_ isn’t gorgeous. And putting a lot of care into keeping his body in shape.

Paul’s eyes flicker back to the video chat screen for a split second, to Hugh, still a little sweaty post-workout, in his gray tank top and black shorts, and his brain automatically completes the picture based on what’s revealed in those photos. He’s watching Paul a little nervously, awaiting his verdict.

Then he gets to the pictures Hugh must’ve referred to earlier that didn’t fit the campaign, and his jaw drops. They look like outtakes — rather than the sexy and serious poses of the previous photos, Hugh is smiling here, laughing, apparently engaging with the person behind the camera and completely relaxed. The layer of intimacy it adds to the already very exposed nature of the photos sends a shiver through Paul’s body.

“Wow,” he whispers, involuntarily really, realizing how dry his mouth suddenly feels. He also can’t pull his eyes away until he hears Hugh’s voice again.

“So… What d’you think?”

Paul briefly clears his throat. “I can’t believe they rejected these. Those are… they’re amazing.”

“Thank you. Actually… I’m kind of glad they did.”

“Really?” Paul responds, surprised by the shyness that has crept into Hugh’s voice. “Why?”

“I don’t know, they… they almost feel a little too personal to be shared so publicly.”

Paul’s brain seems to be taking its sweet time processing his words. “But you’re sharing them with me…”

Hugh doesn’t say anything, but he smiles. It’s infectious.

“Thank you.”

Eventually Hugh seems to glance at his chronometer and sighs. “I would love to talk to you forever, but I’m afraid I’ll have to get ready for my shift.”

“Of course,” Paul responds softly. “Get that well-earned shower and then go save lives.”

“I will, thanks, dear. Are you gonna go to bed?”

He checks his own time. Late enough. “Yeah, I think so. It’s been a long day.”

“Talk to you soon?” Hugh asks him with a hopeful smile.

“Absolutely,” Paul returns in kind. His hand reflexively moves towards the screen again, and Hugh mirrors his pose. Soon, he hopes, they’ll be able to hold hands in person, finally. “Kick ass out there today.”

Hugh pauses for a moment, then he moves his fingertips, pressing them first to his lips, then to the screen — or rather to the camera, presumably. After the initial surprise, the gesture leaves Paul deeply moved, and he returns the long-distance kiss that transcends lightyears. They both smile, even if a little wistfully.

“Sleep well,” Hugh says at last. “Sweet dreams.”

With a heavy heart Paul ends the call, and then stares at the empty screen. _Those I’ll have for sure…_ he thinks. His eyes fall on the files Hugh sent him that are still open in the corner. His cheeks heat up again. After staring at them for a good couple of minutes, he picks his favorite out of them and sends it onto his personal PADD. Not that the image of Hugh’s full-body laugh while wearing nothing but those incredibly form-fitting black undergarments hasn’t permanently burned itself into his memory already, but it’s still nice to know that he has a backup at hand just in case. After that’s done, he shuts down his console and stretches, before heading into the bathroom to get ready for bed, his mind still occupied with the undeniable fact that he and Hugh Culber are now, officially, in a relationship.

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thank you so much to everyone who leaves lovely and supportive comments on my fics! Even if I usually don’t know how to adequately respond to them, please be assured that they make me super happy and brighten my day! <3


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